TABITHA BENSON
Chicago
Summary
Agile delivery lead with a proven track record in enhancing execution predictability across cross-functional teams within enterprise settings. Skilled in scaling agile frameworks to boost delivery velocity and align technology initiatives with measurable business outcomes.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Agile Delivery Lead/Scrum Master Lead
National Bank Holdings Corporation
Kansas City
06.2023 - 03.2025
- Expanded Agile methodologies organization-wide, aligning development efforts with business objectives.
- Led a diverse portfolio of projects at any given time, ensured alignment of internal and external teams, and served as the point of contact for the implementation of initiatives
- Built comprehensive Jira reporting dashboards to provide visibility into throughput, delivery projections, say-do ratios, epic burndown performance, and quality metrics across regression testing, SIT, and UAT
- Supervised 4 Scrum Masters and established a repeatable weekly operating model, embedding best practices and ensuring effective execution of our delivery methodology
- Implemented PI (Program Increment) planning to unify all verticals, strategizing to meet deliverables by 40%
- Collaborated with QA and dev leads to refine and implement testing strategies within Agile sprints, improving the integration of testing practices into the development cycle and ensuring higher quality deliverables.
- Developed a configured Scaled Agile Playbook to implement across the entire enterprise.
- Established and facilitated steering committee meetings to drive strategic alignment, improve project oversight, and enhance decision-making across teams and stakeholders.
- Guided teams in Agile practices to improve project delivery and efficiency.
- Coordinated with stakeholders to prioritize and manage the product backlog effectively.
- Trained team members on Scrum methodologies to ensure adherence to best practices.
Agile Project Implementation Manager
Par Pacific Holdings
Houston
01.2023 - 06.2023
- Managed multiple projects, introduced agile methodologies, and implemented financial management database for budget tracking, improving project transparency.
- Improved refinery and IT project performance by 40% through effective software implementations and upgrades.
- Collaborated with product owners to define, prioritize stories, and manage backlogs effectively.
- Conducted agile assessment and presented actionable recommendations to stakeholders, driving alignment on project improvements.
- Initiated JIRA/Smartsheet implementation, enhancing portfolio management visibility and tracking by 50%.
- Resolved impediments by collaborating with scrum masters and stakeholders to unblock barriers.
- Oversaw acquisition project for Exxon and Shell refineries to enhance operational efficiency.
- Developed coaching programs that enhanced team performance and engagement through tailored strategies.
Senior Scrum Master
CVS Health
07.2022 - 01.2023
- Led implementation of business intelligence and data engineering teams to establish store reporting metrics from 9,967 CVS locations.
- Created UAT workflow to enhance alignment among stakeholders and scrum teams for major releases and hotfixes.
- Managed scope and schedule adjustments through weekly communications with business to ensure project clarity.
- Conducted discovery calls with scrum masters to integrate agile processes, improving collaboration.
- Planned scrum teams throughout full project lifecycle for small to medium-sized projects.
- Developed relationships across all business segments to optimize resource allocation and utilization.
- Collaborated with internal and external partners to facilitate integrated planning and address specific needs.
- Captured business requests, exclusion logics, and requirements in product backlog using Rally.
Agile Project Manager/ Scrum Master
Concentrix
03.2021 - 07.2022
- Produce project-level reports covering overall status, milestone tracking, risks/issues, and mitigation plans.
- Integrated Azure DevOps to streamline project management and enhance cross-platform collaboration.
- Increased team velocity by 20% on mobile application projects.
- Executed OLED API projects on iOS and Android for Fortune 500 companies using project management tools.
- Collaborated with stakeholders, developers, QA testers, and external teams to boost initiative visibility.
- Facilitated executive-level stakeholder engagement through strategic alignment sessions and data-driven insights.
- Created visual systems to track work progress, ensuring communication transparency.
- Maintained Jira dashboards and advanced filters to optimize reporting capabilities and workflows.
IT Project Manager, Production Support
Germania Insurance
Brenham
03.2020 - 03.2021
- Led Production Support team for Guidewire, Skyward Cloud, and scrum iterations, ensuring alignment with project goals.
- Managed hot fixes and crit-sits while facilitating and leading a team of 20.
- Improved product quality by significantly reducing the defect backlog from hundreds to less than 4% visible defects at product launch.
- Built and maintained delivery roadmaps, release plans, and forecasting models to improve stakeholder confidence and delivery predictability.
- Facilitated stakeholder meetings to gather requirements and share project updates, driving clarity and alignment.
- Scheduled and facilitated meetings between project stakeholders to discuss deliverables, schedules and conflicts.
- Enhanced collaboration with PMs on resource allocation and capacity planning to streamline processes across the company.
- Improved exception and deviation processes for hot fixes and migrations.
Scrum Master
Aldine
07.2018 - 11.2020
- Led 2 cross-functional teams in developing and deploying mobile and web applications for 2 educational web-based programs.
- Led sprint reviews, daily scrums and planning meetings to realize full team engagement.
- Assessed each scrum team member's responsibilities and delegated tasks to balance capacity.
- Coordinated with stakeholders to align project goals and timelines, facilitating clear communication and expectations.
- Increased revenue through enhanced district satisfaction, expanding team by 40% and securing a new contract.
- Delivered tools in PowerSchool software for Aldine and Yes Prep districts, enabling accurate district funding projections.
- Coordinated with 5 subcontractors in preparing master plans, design briefs, and obtaining all necessary permits.
IT Business Analyst/Scrum Master
SCDMH
Columbia
07.2017 - 07.2018
- Facilitated development team of 6 to implement Net Smart software, enabling healthcare workers to efficiently upload patient documentation using Scrum framework.
- Scheduled and facilitated all meetings such as the daily stand up and other scrum ceremonies to foster collaboration, increase transparency, and build consensus and understanding.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to gather and document system requirements.
- Developed user stories and use cases for software development projects.
- Analyzed business processes to identify technology needs and improvements.
- Identified process inefficiencies through gap analysis and proposed targeted solutions to enhance operational workflows.
- Analyzed business aspects to evaluate factors driving results and summarized insights into actionable presentations.
- Created an open-minded, trustworthy, learning and fun environment which improved the team productivity by 15%.
Education
Bachelor of Science -
Coastal Carolina University
Conway, SC01-2017
Skills
- Agile methodologies and practices
- Kanban and Scrumban
- Program increment planning
- Backlog management
- Acceptance testing strategies
- Behavior-driven development (BDD)
- Test-driven development (TDD)
- CI/CD pipeline management
- DevOps principles
- Azure DevOps tools
- Jira and Confluence usage
- Rally project management
- GitHub version control
- Mobile application deployment
- API integration techniques
- Software development lifecycle (SDLC)
- Metric dashboards creation
- Process optimization strategies
- Project transparency initiatives
- Stakeholder collaboration skills
- Decision-making processes
- Strategic alignment
Certification
- Advanced Certified Scrum Master
- Certified Scrum Master
- SAFe Program Consultant
- SAFe Agilist 6.0
- SAFe Scrum Master 6.0
Accomplishments
- Spearheaded Agile Transformation, Led a comprehensive Agile transformation initiative that increased team productivity by 40% and reduced time-to-market by 30% across multiple technology teams.
- Innovation Leader Award, Recognized for driving the adoption of cutting-edge Agile practices that resulted in improvements in project delivery efficiency and enhanced collaboration across departments.
- Strategic Communication Leadership, Collaborated closely with the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to develop and implement a strategic communication plan that enhanced transparency and alignment across technology teams.
Timeline
Agile Delivery Lead/Scrum Master Lead
National Bank Holdings Corporation
06.2023 - 03.2025
Agile Project Implementation Manager
Par Pacific Holdings
01.2023 - 06.2023
Senior Scrum Master
CVS Health
07.2022 - 01.2023
Agile Project Manager/ Scrum Master
Concentrix
03.2021 - 07.2022
IT Project Manager, Production Support
Germania Insurance
03.2020 - 03.2021
Scrum Master
Aldine
07.2018 - 11.2020
IT Business Analyst/Scrum Master
SCDMH
07.2017 - 07.2018
Bachelor of Science -
Coastal Carolina University